Bea Arthur passes away at 86

Sadly, the great comedic actress Bea Arthur, who just passed away at 86, will likely be remembered mainly for her work on the Golden Girls. Here, in hopes of remedying that to some admittedly very tiny extent, is Arthur’s first appearance on network television as Edith Bunker’s feisty, liberal cousin Maude on All in the Family. (Archie referred to her, I believe in this episode, as a “New Deal fanatic,” a title that I’ve always been fond of.)

Arthur, I should add, also has the distinction of having appeared in the hilariously terrible Star Wars Holiday Special. (She sings at the 8:40 mark, if you follow that link to YouTube.)

[And, for those who are interested, an interview with Arthur talking about her work on the television show Maude can be found here.]